Twelve drivers cited in pedestrian sting

Lake Oswego Police cited another 12 drivers in their third pedestrian safety sting June 2, this one on Jean Road near Schalit Way.

The operation was part of an ongoing effort to improve safety in crosswalks, in particular in areas where pedestrians say they aren't getting enough walking room from drivers.

Since November 2007, seven pedestrians have been hit by cars in crosswalks in Lake Oswego. Police say they want to increase awareness about pedestrian safety and have staged three pedestrian safety exercises since February.

During the exercises, a decoy pedestrian signals drivers, then steps off the curb into the crosswalk to walk. Drivers who are more than 204 feet from the crosswalk at the time the decoy starts to cross are ticketed if they fail to stop and remain stopped.

In this most recent sting, police stopped 14 cars for exceeding the 25-mile-an-hour speed limit on Jean Road. Twelve of those were cited for violations: Eight for failing to remain stopped for the pedestrian, two for failing to stop for the pedestrian, one for unlawful use of studded tires and one for having expired registration.

Police say comments made by violators varied from, 'This is entrapment' to 'I didn't know I had to remain stopped' to 'I just wasn't paying attention.'

At least four drivers stated that they knew that they needed to stop and thanked police for being out there, police said. They say they also got a few thumbs up from passing motorists and thanks from pedestrians.